Washington — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in sending a letter to Senate leadership urging both chambers of Congress to bring a robust supplemental appropriations bill to the floor during the first week of December to provide relief to those impacted by Hurricanes Helen and Milton.

“As Senators representing states that were devastated by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, we urge you to swiftly respond to the Biden Administration’s supplemental funding request. The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) request for $98 billion in supplemental disaster appropriations is an important first step toward securing the assistance our communities need,” they wrote.  “We are encouraged that the Senate Committee on Appropriations held a hearing with key federal agencies on November 20th to review disaster funding needs. The message was clear: disaster relief cannot wait any longer. We urge you to bring a robust supplemental appropriations bill to the floor the first week of December.”

“Across the Southeastern United States, Hurricane Helene is estimated to have caused $250 billion in damages, and Hurricane Milton is expected to have caused $50 billion in damages. Tragically, approximately 261 people lost their lives as a result of both hurricanes…Our constituents need immediate help as they work to rebuild their homes and communities. We have delayed too long already. We therefore request that Congress act immediately to provide for those in need. We stand ready to pass a supplemental disaster relief bill the first week of December,” they continued. 

Warner and Kaine have continuously advocated for Virginians to receive full access to the resources they need to recover from Hurricane Helene. They successfully advocated for President Biden to declare both an Emergency Declaration and an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Virginia. Earlier this month, Warner and Kaine joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) send the supplemental appropriation request to Congress to support communities that were devastated after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Following their request, President Biden sent a $98 billion in supplemental disaster appropriations request to Congress. That request was revised to include funding to address recovery efforts on Virginia’s public lands. In October, they also sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra urging continued action to address the critical intravenous (IV) fluid shortage affecting hospitals across the nation. This shortage was caused by the temporary closure of Baxter International's manufacturing plant in North Carolina due to flooding from the hurricane. Earlier this week, Kaine reintroduced the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act, legislation that would streamline the housing assistance process to make it easier for people in communities affected by natural disasters to access financial support.

Full text of the letter is available here. 

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